There are 50 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2008 Toyota RAV4in NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
My daughter and I are leasing our Toyota Rav4 almost paid off. Our last 2 oil changes done by professional the engine has burned off the oil in between the oil changes. I seen multiple complaints for this same issue for other owners and that there's not been any recalls only investigations. I read 1 person their engine caught fire. I'm disabled if what happened to that person's family happened to my Toyota I might not be as lucky as I, my daughter and my oldest daughter who is disabled and needs help moving and I'd have to get my dog out of the car and we all get safely away from the car and pray we were in a safe area no one else gets hurt. This oil burning from these cars is a dangerous safety hazard and expensive. Instead of a investigation recalls are needed to get the malfunctioning pistons replaced before someone physically gets injured or killed. This is a known issue by the Toyota manufacturer and obviously more and more owners are finding and coming forward with complaints. As for me and my daughter the car is not a new model but it's a new vehicle to use and we didn't know about the pistons malfunctioning issues or oil burning off until it happened. Please do a recall so this issue will be resolved not just investigations because investigations aren't helping nor protecting the consumers/owners. Toyota knew/knows of the safety issues and won't step up to the plate to fix something they know is faulty. Oil is burning out of my car's engine in between oil changes, done by a professional, it really needs to be addressed and safety recalls sent out to hold Toyota accountable for something they know is faulty on their cars
My engine recently start to burning oil. Toyota had an extended Warranty for this issue which had to do with piston rings failure. which has expired. Searching the internet this problem is popping up all over the internet. Calling you
See Attached Letter
The Rav4 is burning oil and consumption of oil. The oil is gone out before the next oil change. This has been going on for a while. There are no leaks and the milage on the 2008 Rav 4 Limited is only 88153.
Issue started when I noticed the vehicle was burning oil, hence why I had to keep refilling the oil levels often. This is an issue many other RAV4 owners have reported. However, the problem was made worse when my mother used my vehicle to pick up some family from the nearest airport. On her way home, my engine blew a hole through itself, causing an engine fire. If it wasn't for the swift thinking of my stepfather, she, him, and my brothers could've been seriously injured or killed. I firmly believe this has to do with the reason why the engine was burning oil.
Vehicle suddenly lose power while the cars are being driven, the engine shut off, and catch on fire.
The contact's daughter owned a 2008 Toyota RAV 4. The contact stated that his wife was driving with their daughter on the highway at approximately 65 mph. The contact stated that his wife said no warning lights were illuminated. The contact's wife reported that the vehicle began to make a loud buzzing noise from the engine. The contact's wife was able to pull over on the road shoulder when she noticed smoke issuing from under the hood. The vehicle burst into flames from under the hood. The contact's wife and daughter jumped out of the vehicle, the daughter burned the palm of her right hand. The police and fire department arrived. The police attempted to extinguish the fire and called the fire department which extinguished the fire with water. The vehicle was undrivable and the police had it towed to an impound lot. The police nor the fire department issued a report. The daughter did not seek medical attention for the burn on her right hand. The contact said that the insurance company will inspect the vehicle this week. The contact said the vehicle was completely burned. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
I PURCHASED THE 2008 TOYOTA RAV4 WITH 90,600 MILES ON DECEMBER 7/2020 FOR $ 7,000 . ON DECEMBER 13 COMING HOME ON SAWGRASS EXPRESS WAY THE VEHICLE GOT ON FIRE !! LUCKILY I HAVE HAD THE POLICE CAR FOLLOWED ME BECAUSE AND WAS DRIVING BEHIND ME AND NOTICE THE CAR HEAVILY SMOKING! I PULLED OVER AND WAIT FOR THE POLICE WITH THE TEXTINGUISHER TO LOCALIZE THE FIRE ! ISSUED A REPORT AND FLORIDA HIGHWAY PATROL FOR TOWING. CASE NUMBER FHPK20OFF058333 EMERALD TOWING ! NEXT DAY PAID FOR TOWING $400 ( RECEIPT IS PROVIDED) S.I.R.T 32962 DEC.13.2020 ON DECEMBER 14 PAID $ 125 AGAIN TO BE ABLE TO TOW IT TO PAULS TRANSMISSION LOCATED ON 4430 N. DIXIE HWY. FORT LAUDERDALE, FL 33334 REPLACE ENGINE WITH LKQ UNIT TOTAL COST $4,066 INVOICE PROVIDED. IN THE MEANTIME I HAVE TO WORK SO I NEEDED A RENTAL CAR UNTIL JANUARY 6TH, 2021 $ 437.73 TOTAL COST !
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT UPON INSPECTION OF HER ENGINE, SHE DISCOVERED THAT THE OIL HAD COMPLETELY EMPTIED WITHOUT WARNING. SINCE THE DISCOVERY, THE CONTACT WOULD FREQUENTLY REPLACE THE OIL APPROXIMATELY EVERY MONTH DUE TO THE EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION. THE CONTACT THEN TOOK THE VEHICLE TO MAGIC TOYOTA (21300 HWY 99, EDMONDS, WA 98026) WHERE SHE WAS INFORMED THAT THE FAILURE WAS A KNOWN ISSUE AND THE VEHICLE WAS UNDER WARRANTY HOWEVER, THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND A CASE WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE HAD YET TO BE REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 95,000.
VEHICLE CONSUMES MORE OIL THAN THE NORMAL.HAVE FOUND OUT THAT 2007-2009 TOYOTA RAV 4,(2AZ-FE ENGINES) HAVE A FAULTY PISTON AND RINGS DESIGN.THESE ENGINES BURN OIL,BECAUSE OF THIS FAULTY DESIGN.
VEHICLE ENGINE SEIZED AND SHUT DOWN WHEN I WAS DRIVING ON A MAIN STREET INSIDE CITY LIMITS ON A STRAIGHT BUSY ROAD. PULLED INTO DRIVEWAY BUT VEHICLE WOULD NOT START AGAIN SO HAD IT TOWED TO MY HOUSE. REPLACED BATTERY BUT STILL WOULD NOT START. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO TOYOTA DEALER.
MY ENGINE IS CONSUMING OIL MORE THAN NORMAL AND I ONLY DRIVE LOCALLY AND VIBRATES IN IDLING AND WHEN YOU STOPPED THE CAR ALSO CONTINUOUSLY HAS A SOUND COMING FROM THE ENGINE LIKE CLICKING HARDER AT IDLING AND RUNNING IS VERY NOTORIOUS. I CONSULTED OTHER MECHANIC SHOPS AND THEY SAID THERE S A PROBLEM IN THE INTERNAL ENGINE BUT NOBODY WORKED IN MY CAR. IN THE PAST I TOLD THE TOYOTA SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND THEY IGNORE IT
EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION ( 1 QT/400 MILES), CAR IS NOW AT 108K MILES. OIL CONSUMPTION TEST DONE AT 83K (USED ONLY 1/4 QT SO PASSED) AT ROSWELL, ATLANTA. AND I WAS ASKED TO TOP UP OIL DURING OIL CHANGES. NO NOTICE RECEIVED FROM TOYOTA FOR OIL CONSUMPTION ISSUES. HOW COME THE CAR CONSUMING JUST 1/4 QT/1000 MILES CONSUMING 1 FULL QT/400 MILES NOW? (ASSUMING TEST IS DONE CORRECTLY) I DONT KNOW. BUT FOUND ON INTERNET THAT THIS IS AN ISSUE WITH THIS ENGINE. I WOKE UP LATE. CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY SINCE 05/18 FOR ANY FIX. TOYOTA ACTED SO CHEAP BY NOT RECALLING THE CARS HERE DESPITE KNOWING THE ISSUE VERY WELL. I ALWAYS THOUGHT TOYOTA IS KNOWN FOR RELIABILITY BUT NOT ANYMORE.
HAVING TO PUT OIL IN IT WEEKLY
MY CAR IS BURNING OIL VERY QUICKLY. I HAVE TO CHECK IT WEEKLY AND NOW AM PUTTING 1 OR 2 QUARTS OF OIL EVERY 2 OR 3 WEEKS. I TRAVEL 60 MILES DAILY AND THOUGHT THAT BECAUSE OF DISTANCE AND BECAUSE MY CAR HAS OVER 100,000 MILES, THAT THIS WAS THE REASON. NOW I AM READING ABOUT ALL THE MANY SAME COMPLAINTS OTHER OWNERS ARE HAVING. IS THERE A RECALL OR SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM? I DIDN'T WANT TO BUY A NEW CAR YET.
2.4 LITER ENGINE IS CONSUMING OIL BETWEEN OIL CHANGES EVERY 5000 MILES, 2 TO 3 QUARTS OIL IS BEING ADDED TO KEEP OIL LIGHT FROM COMING ON
THE ENGINE CONSUME TOO MUCH OIL, IT HAS AROUND 100,000 MILES ON IT. I CHANGE OIL EVERY 3K TO 4K MILES AND WHEN I'M READY TO DO OIL CHANGE THE OIL IS ALMOST EMPTY, NOW I HAVE TO REFILL AND CHECK THE OIL FREQUENTLY
I HAVE A 2008 TOYOTA RAV4 4 CYLINDER, I'VE NOTICED THAT IT'S BEEN LOSING AROUND 2QTS BETWEEN OIL CHANGES AND THERE ARE NO OIL LEAKS. ARE THERE ANY RECALLS I SHOULD BE AWARE OF? SEEMS LIKE THERE IS ALOT OF PEOPLE WITH THE SAME ISSUE AND I JUST BOUGHT THIS CAR SO ITS VERY FRUSTRATING. TOYOTA SHOULD BE TAKING CARE OF THIS MATTER, VERY DISAPPOINTED.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE OIL LEVEL WAS LOW RIGHT AFTER AN OIL CHANGE WAS PERFORMED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO C.F. SCHWARTZ TOYOTA (1536 N DUPONT HWY, DOVER, DE 19901, (302) 734-5748) AND THE OIL WAS CHANGED. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONTACT TO WATCH AND CHECK THE OIL LEVEL AFTER FUEL WAS ADDED TO THE VEHICLE. ONE MONTH LATER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED OF A WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM THAT REQUIRED AN ENGINE REPLACEMENT AT THE COST OF $4,000. THE WARRANTY HAD SPECIAL QUALIFICATIONS, BUT THE EXPIRATION DATE HAD PASSED; THEREFORE, THE DEALER WOULD NOT COVER THE REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THEY COULD NOT HONOR THE WARRANTY AND REFERRED THE CONTACT TO NHTSA. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 114,000.
AN EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION, 1 QUART EVERY 1500 MILES. NO OIL LEAKS IDENTIFIED. IT'S A KNOWN ISSUE RELATED TO 2AZ-FE ENGINES DUE TO DESIGN ISSUES RELATED TO PISTONS AND RINGS. IT'S A SAFETY ISSUE WHICH CAN CAUSE A STALL OF ENGINE DUE TO LOW AMOUNT OF OIL. TOYOTA DEALER REFUSED TO REPAIR THE ENGINE DUE TO JUST EXPIRED WARRANTY (10 YEARS/150K MILES).
Showing 1–20 of 50 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026